Chief Registrar Distances Herself From Firm Amadi And Associates Advocates Over The Sh130 Fake Gold Scam

Chief Registrar of Judiciary Anne Amadi who’s now fighting for her reputation has denied any links to the Sh130 million gold scandal that saw her personal bank accounts being frozen.

In reply to a petition filed by a Dubai-based gold trading firm, Amadi asked the High Court to lift the order freezing her bank accounts saying she has nothing to do with the transaction.

She sought the lifting of the orders granted by Justice David Majanja on May 18, saying it was prejudicial to her.

“It is therefore in the interest of justice that the court be pleased to stay or set aside its orders issued on 18th May 2023 in so far as they pertain to me to enable me to resume my normal life, provide both for myself and my family as prayed in the present application,” Amadi pleaded with the court.

Justice Majanja, however, declined to lift the order after recusing himself from the case.

Amadi said in the application that Bruton Gold Trading LLC is guilty of non-disclosure of material facts in its pleadings and affidavits.

She denied being a signatory to the accounts of Amadi & Associates Advocates, which was acting for the parties in the alleged gold transaction.

Amadi said she plays no role in the firm and does not draw any income or profit from it since she took leave of absence in January 2014.

She said she is not aware of, has never met and did not participate in the transaction and neither knows the gold company nor the David Taylor alias Mboronda Seyenkulo.

She said she ceased engaging in private practice, did not take out any practice certificate or instructions from any client and did not receive any monies from any client or person in that capacity.

Amadi said the firm remained dormant until her son Brian Amadi and Andrew Kiarie took up the management and operations and the two opted to retain the name.

Sh130M fake gold saga.

Last week, Bruton, a Dubai based company, obtained orders freeing Amadi and her son’s personal bank accounts.

Justice David Majanja also froze two bank account numbers domiciled at African Banking Corporation Bank, Green House mall, Nairobi in the name of Amadi and associates advocates.

Also frozen are those of Kiarie, Topoti and David Kangara.

The preservation orders were issued following the suit filed by Bruton which accused Amadi, her son Ochieng and five others of allegedly conspired to fraudulently obtain over Sh100 million from them.

The company claims they illegally obtained $742,206 on the pretense that they would deliver 1,500kgs of gold bars.

The company told the court how fake documentations were procured in an attempt to mislead them that they were committing to a genuine transaction. A tracking number was also provided by the parties involved to prove that the consignment of gold had left Kenya aboard a Kenya Airways Flight to Dubai.

Its directors according to the court documents were introduced by Edward Taylor, a Liberian national to one Daniel Ndegwa Kangara (Alias Dan Muriithi) who at the time it was alleged was an officer in an entity identified as Universal Global Logistics Limited.

UGL was in the gold export business and it could export gold from Kenya to Dubai.

Bruton says the agreement between the parties was that Kangara was to deliver gold for export (in Kenya), which gold would be exported by the Liberian to Dubai for sale. The cost was to be covered by Bruton.

An agreement was subsequently entered between the Dubai firm and UGL.

UGL was represented by Amadi’s son Law firm for the export of the 1,500kgs gold bars allegedly owned by the Liberian and his family from Kenya to Dubai.

Bruton consequently sent $592,970 (Sh81.5 million) to the law firm account at African Banking Corporation Limited (7th defendant in the suit).

The monies were dispatched in tranches between September 22, 2021, and October 21, 2021. It was withdrawn in cash by Ochieng and Kiarie from ABC Bank.

Fake gold scammers have made their part of fraud scheme to using collaborative law firms in luring victims to make the deals seem authentic and use the firms to receive cash.